Back with original team, lefty hasn't pitched in a game since 2013

MESA, Ariz. -- Barry Zito will be back in game action for the first time since 2013 on Thursday, when the A's lefty is scheduled to make his first Cactus League start in a road meeting with the Cubs.

The A's have another southpaw, Brad Mills, on tap for their Tuesday opener against the Giants at Hohokam Stadium. On Wednesday, it's the Giants' turn to host the A's in Scottsdale, Ariz., in another early spring match between the Bay rivals, with right-hander Jesse Chavez on the mound for Oakland.

Smith actually wore the colors as early as age 5, when his San Francisco-based aunt gifted him an A's shirsey. Just days ago, his mom recovered a photo of him wearing it. The timing couldn't have been more perfect.

MESA, Ariz. -- The threat of rain didn't stop the A's from gathering for a four-inning intrasquad game at Fitch Park on Saturday morning. The defense greatly impressed manager Bob Melvin, but it was the umpire who stole the show.

William Boor is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter at @wboor. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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Melvin excited about new infield

Oakland will likely have four new starters around the diamond in 2015

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Lawrie on what to expect in 2015 0:54

New third baseman Brett Lawrie talks about being traded to the A's and shares his expectations for his club in 2015

By William Boor
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MLB.com |

MESA, Ariz. -- Odds are the Athletics will begin the 2015 season with a completely different infield than the one that began the 2014 season.

It's extremely rare that a team replaces all four infield starters, and although Melvin couldn't recall a time he'd been around a team with so much turnover in the infield, he likes the way the A's are currently constructed.

A's claim OF Hassan, place Griffin on 60-day DL

MESA, Ariz. -- Hours after manager Bob Melvin talked about the lack of outfielders the A's had in Spring Training, the team announced it had claimed outfielder Alex Hassan off waivers from the Baltimore Orioles.

"It's kind of similar where last year we had a lack of infielders, this year we have a lack of outfielders," Melvin said.

Power-hitting OF/1B gets chance to stay in bigs

MESA, Ariz. -- Mark Canha and his wife, Marci, always wanted to settle down in the Bay Area. A life in baseball, though, comes without the freedom to plan such things. So when Canha heard he had been selected by Colorado in December's Rule 5 Draft, after five seasons in Miami's organization, he again set aside that vision.

He only had to wait 10 minutes for it to become a reality, though, when he was suddenly on the phone with the A's, who had pulled off a quick trade (for right-handeder Austin House and cash)with the Rockies.

A's claim RHP Smith, place RHP Thompson on 60-day DL

MESA, Ariz. -- The A's claimed right-hander Chad Smith off waivers from Detroit on Thursday, a move meant to offset the loss of another relief option, Taylor Thompson, to injury.

The right-handed Thompson was forced to bow out of the bullpen competition because of a right-shoulder strain. He was placed on the 60-day disabled list to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Smith and has been shut down indefinitely.

Chavez to join A's TV broadcast for 20 games

Six-time Gold Glove winner debuts April 24

MESA, Ariz. -- Six-time Gold Glove winner Eric Chavez will join the A's broadcast team as a color commentator for 20 telecasts this season. He debuts April 24, when the A's host the Astros.

Chavez, who is currently serving as a special assignment scout for the Yankees, with whom he played in 2011-12, will also act as a studio analyst for select "A's Pregame Live" and "A's Postgame Live" shows on Comcast SportsNet California. He follows in the footsteps of fellow former A's players who were invited in the broadcast booth for 20 games in recent years: Shooty Babbitt (2014) and Scott Hatteberg (2012-13).

Third baseman confident intensity for game will catch on quick with new club

MESA, Ariz. -- Brett Lawrie is in perpetual motion. He's exhausting to watch, even when he's sitting, with his quick-twitch muscles -- many of them bathed in ink -- always on the go. Which begs the question, how did he ever sit still in the tattoo parlor?

Lawrie says he's clocked 29 hours on his left arm, the tattooed sleeve devoted to his sister, Nicole, who passed as a young child before he was even born, and another 23 1/2 hours on his right arm, spotted with inspirational words that fuel his desire for greatness.

Jane Lee is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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Sure-handed infielder Ellis retires at 37

A's mainstay finishes career with fifth-best fielding percentage for second baseman

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Ellis' tremendous catch 0:32

5/24/14: Mark Ellis makes a tremendous leaping catch on a line drive off the bat of Devin Mesoraco to save two runs

By Chad Thornburg
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MLB.com |

Second baseman Mark Ellis is retiring from baseball, according to a report by the San Francisco Chronicle.

The 37-year-old Ellis, a ninth-round selection of the Royals in the 1999 First-Year Player Draft, played 12 years in the Majors with the A's, Rockies, Dodgers and Cardinals. Ellis spent 8 1/2 seasons with Oakland.

The club held a team meeting prior to its first-full squad workout on Wednesday morning, dominated primarily by manager Bob Melvin. But co-owner Lew Wolff also spoke, after he walked out to "Louie Louie," and so did a special guest -- brought in to explain MLB's new rules intended to hasten pace of play.

Jane Lee is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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Venditte explains his superpower: Ambidextrous pitchi

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By Ben Cosman |

A's reliever Pat Venditte is a professional right-handed pitcher. He is also a professional left-handed pitcher. Often, he does both in the same game. Welcome to the world of ambidextrous pitching.

The Minor Leaguer scored an invite to Spring Training this season and with his career 2.54 ERA and average 10 strikeouts per nine innings, it's not difficult to see why. This week, the switch-pitching Venditte went on Hot Stove to break down his baseball superpower for us mortals.

MESA, Ariz. -- The A's started and finished the 2014 season without Craig Gentry, who is eager for a second chance to introduce himself to fans after multiple injuries interrupted his first season in green and gold.

Gentry came to camp last year as one of the organization's most prized offseason acquisitions, a player the Rangers didn't want to give up until lured by an offer that included one of the A's top prospects: Michael Choice. Gentry also arrived injured, hurting his back while driving one too many hours from his offseason home in Dallas to the A's spring complex.

MESA, Ariz. -- Jesse Chavez brought a big appetite to camp. The A's right-hander is craving both food and success around the clock, and for one of the lightest pitchers in all of baseball, the former is crucial to the latter.

Ask around the A's clubhouse and the answer is seemingly unanimous: Chavez deserves a spot in the rotation again. The right-hander isn't so sure he's earned it, though, despite his incredible work last year.

A's take measures to slow opponents' running game

MESA, Ariz. -- The A's inability to control their opponents' running game haunted them too often last season, and no time more so than in their final game, displayed under the microscope of a national audience.

The Royals stole a postseason-record seven bases under Oakland's watch in the American League Wild Card Game, a 12-inning escapade the A's lost, 9-8. It was the continuation of an ugly regular-season trend they're ready to halt this spring.

Returning to A's was a no-brainer for Mills

MESA, Ariz. -- The A's got plenty bang out of the buck they spent on Brad Mills last year. The left-hander, though with the club for exactly one month before being designated for assignment and claimed by Toronto, used the time to showcase his worth as a starter and is back to do so again on a Minor League deal.

"The few weeks I had here, I threw OK, but it was just such an enjoyable experience I wanted to have again," Mills said Monday at A's Spring Training. "It just helps when I know the organization will give me a chance to start and trust me if they need me, and that's all I'm looking for."

Jane Lee is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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Phegley welcomes shot to catch on with A's

Stuck behind Flowers in Chicago, backstop has good shot at backup role

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Phegley's two-homer night 1:04

9/27/14: Josh Phegley hammers two solo home runs vs. the Royals, pacing the White Sox to a victory on Paul Konerko Day

By Jane Lee
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MLB.com |

MESA, Ariz. -- When the A's dealt Derek Norris and John Jaso in separate trades this winter, Josh Phegley automatically slid into the second spot on the catching depth chart, otherwise known as prime position for an Opening Day roster job.

Phegley's never had one of those. Former White Sox teammate Tyler Flowers was always picked over him.